Mobile device transportation mode management device, system and method

ABSTRACT

A portable device includes one or more memories and travel mode control circuitry coupled to the one or more memories. The travel mode control circuitry, in operation, monitors motion data and temperature data to detect a first travel state of the device. When the first travel state of the device is detected, motion data and pressure data are monitored to detect a transition from the first travel state to a second travel state of the device. When the transition to the second travel state of the device is detected, one or more control signals are generated to cause the device to enter a first travel mode of operation.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to mobile devices, such asmobile phones, laptop, tablet, shipping transponders, etc., and devices,systems and methods of managing operational modes of such mobiledevices.

Description of the Related Art

The use of wireless communication devices may be restricted when suchdevices are being transported, such during a flight or on a train orferry ride, to minimize interference in other radio communicationsrelated to the transportation system, to limit drawing of power fromoutlets, etc. For example, the use of mobile or handheld devices duringascent and descend or during an entire flight may be prohibited orrestricted, use on a train when entering or leaving a station may berestricted, use on ferries when entering or leaving a harbor may berestricted, etc.

Such wireless communication devices may include mobile phones, tablets,laptops, embedded processing systems, asset tracking transponders, etc.A user may power-off a device, or manually enter an airplane mode ofoperation to comply with the use restrictions.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a device comprises: one or more memories; and travelmode control circuitry coupled to the one or more memories, wherein thetravel mode control circuitry, in operation: monitors motion data andtemperature data to detect a first travel state of the device; respondsto detection of the first travel state of the device by monitoringmotion data and pressure data to detect a transition from the firsttravel state to a second travel state of the device; and responds todetection of the transition to the second travel state of the device bygenerating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter afirst travel mode of operation. In an embodiment, the first travel stateis an airplane runway state, the second travel state is an airplanetakeoff state and the first travel mode of operation is an airplane modeof operation. In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation, determines an energy of acceleration based on the motion dataand detects a travel state of the device based on the determined energyof acceleration. In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation, determines whether the temperature data indicates atemperature of the device is within a threshold temperature range. In anembodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, employs amotion activation detection algorithm to detect the first travel state.In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, in operation,employs the motion activation detection algorithm to detect thetransition to the second travel state. In an embodiment, the travel modecontrol circuitry, in operation: monitors the motion data to detectsignificant human motion inconsistent with the first travel state; andresponds to detection of significant human motion inconsistent with thefirst travel state by determining the device is not in the first travelstate. In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation: responds to detection of the transition to the second travelstate by monitoring motion data and pressure data to detect a transitionfrom the second travel state to a third travel state; and responds todetection of the transition to the third travel state by generating oneor more control signals to cause the device to enter a second travelmode of operation. In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry,in operation: responds to detection of the first travel state bymonitoring motion data, temperature data and pressure data; and respondsto monitored data inconsistent with the first travel state bydetermining the first travel state is not detected. In an embodiment,the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, employs one or morethresholds values and one or more threshold periods of time to detect atravel state of the device.

In an embodiment, a system comprises: a temperature sensor; a pressuresensor; a motion sensor; and travel mode control circuitry coupled tothe temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the motion sensor,wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation: monitors motiondata and temperature data to detect a first travel state; responds todetection of the first travel state by monitoring motion data andpressure data to detect a transition from the first travel state to asecond travel state; and responds to detection of the transition to thesecond travel state by generating one or more control signals to causethe system to enter a first travel mode of operation. In an embodiment,the first travel state is an airplane runway state, the second travelstate is an airplane takeoff state and the first travel mode ofoperation is an airplane mode of operation. In an embodiment, the travelmode control circuitry, in operation, determines an energy ofacceleration based on the motion data and detects a travel state basedon the determined energy of acceleration. In an embodiment, the travelmode control circuitry, in operation, determines whether the temperaturedata indicates a temperature is within a threshold temperature range. Inan embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, employsa motion activation detection algorithm to detect the first travelstate. In an embodiment, the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation: monitors the motion data to detect significant human motioninconsistent with the first travel state; and responds to detection ofsignificant human motion inconsistent with the first travel state bydetermining the first travel state is not detected.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: monitoring motion data andtemperature data to detect a first travel state of a device; respondingto detection of the first travel state of the device by monitoringmotion data and pressure data to detect a transition from the firsttravel state to a second travel state of the device; and responding todetection of the transition to the second travel state of the device bygenerating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter afirst travel mode of operation. In an embodiment, the first travel stateis an airplane runway state, the second travel state is an airplanetakeoff state and the first travel mode of operation is an airplane modeof operation. In an embodiment, the method comprises employing a motionactivation detection algorithm to detect the first travel state.

In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has contentswhich cause travel mode control circuitry to perform a method, themethod comprising: monitoring motion data and temperature data to detecta first travel state of a device; responding to detection of the firsttravel state of the device by monitoring motion data and pressure datato detect a transition from the first travel state to a second travelstate of the device; and responding to detection of the transition tothe second travel state of the device by generating one or more controlsignals to cause the device to enter a first travel mode of operation.In an embodiment, the first travel state is an airplane runway state,the second travel state is an airplane takeoff state and the firsttravel mode of operation is an airplane mode of operation. In anembodiment, the contents comprise instructions executed by the travelmode control circuitry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of an electronicdevice or system having a processing core and a plurality of sensorsaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a graphical illustration of an example relationship betweencabin pressure (altitude) and airplane altitude.

FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration of an example acceleration profile ofa device during a takeoff procedure of an airplane.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example acceleration variance of a device during atakeoff procedure in an embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example frequency response of an energy ofacceleration of a device during a takeoff procedure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a typical mean acceleration curve of adevice during a takeoff procedure.

FIG. 7 is a graphical illustration of a motion activation detection(MAD) function or algorithm.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example behavior of an embodiment of anacceleration-based state detector during a flight.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphical illustrations of indications of heightbased on cabin pressure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example embodiment of a flow diagram of atransportation mode detection method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of devices,systems, methods and articles. However, one of skill in the art willunderstand that other embodiments may be practiced without thesedetails. In other instances, well-known structures and methodsassociated with, for example, circuits, such as transponders,transistors, multipliers, adders, dividers, comparators, transistors,integrated circuits, logic gates, finite state machines, memories,interfaces, bus systems, etc., have not been shown or described indetail in some figures to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions ofthe embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprising,” and “comprises,” are to be construed in an open, inclusivesense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” Reference to “atleast one of” shall be construed to mean either or both the disjunctiveand the inclusive, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily referring to the same embodiment, or to all embodiments.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments to obtainfurther embodiments.

The headings are provided for convenience only, and do not interpret thescope or meaning of this disclosure.

The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elementsand angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements areenlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, theparticular shapes of the elements as drawn are not necessarily intendedto convey any information regarding the actual shape of particularelements, and have been selected solely for ease of recognition in thedrawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of an electronicdevice or system 100 of the type to which the embodiments which will bedescribed may apply. The system 100 comprises one or more processingcores or circuits 102. The processing cores 102 may comprise, forexample, one or more processors, a state machine, a microprocessor, aprogrammable logic circuit, discrete circuitry, logic gates, registers,etc., and various combinations thereof. The processing cores may controloverall operation of the system 100, execution of application programsby the system 100, implementation of functional blocks of the system,etc.

The system 100 includes one or more memories 104, such as one or morevolatile and/or non-volatile memories which may store, for example, allor part of instructions and data related to control of the system 100,applications and operations performed by the system 100, etc. Thememories 104 may include one or more primary memories, one or moresecondary memories and one or more cache memories. The primary memoriesare typically the working memory of the system 100 (e.g., the memory ormemories upon which the processing cores 102 work). The secondarymemories may typically be a non-volatile memory storing instructions anddata, which may be retrieved and stored in the primary memory whenneeded by the system 100. The cache memory may be a relatively fastmemory compared to the secondary memory and typically has a limitedsize, which may be larger than a size of the primary memory. The cachememory temporarily stores code and data for later use by the system 100.Instead of retrieving needed code or data from the secondary memory forstorage in the primary memory, the system 100 may check the cache memoryfirst to see if the data or code is already stored in the cache memory.

The system 100 as illustrated includes one or more artificialintelligence engines, which as illustrated is an artificial neuralnetwork (ANN) engine 106. The system 100 also includes one or more powersupplies 108 and one or more other functional circuits 110, such as oneor more memory controllers, one or more displays, one or more securitycircuits, etc.

The system 100 as illustrated includes one or more sensors, such as oneor more motion sensors 120, one or more pressure sensors 122, one ormore temperature sensors 124, one or more other sensor(s) 126, etc. Themotion sensors 120 may be, for example, one or more gyroscopes, one ormore accelerometers, etc., and may implemented using MEMS technology andprovide movement data with respect to one, two or three axes ofmovement. The pressure sensors 122 may typically comprise one or moreforce-collector type pressure sensors providing pressure data relativeto a reference pressure, such as a pressure of a perfect vacuum, astandard reference pressure, etc., and may typically be implemented, forexample, using piezo-resistive strain, capacitive, electromagnetic, orpiezoelectric sensing technologies. The temperature sensors 124 maytypically comprise one or more negative temperature coefficientthermistors, one or more resistance temperature detectors, one or morethermocouples, one or more temperature sensitive diode pairs, etc., andvarious combinations thereof. The other sensors 126 may include acousticsensors, altimeters, image sensors, etc. The various sensors may provideanalog or digital output signals. Analog-to-digital converters (notshown) may be employed.

The system 100 includes one or more interfaces, which as illustratedinclude one or more cellular network interfaces 140 (e.g., GSM, CDMA,etc.), one or more wireless local area network (WIFI) interfaces 142,one or more near-field communication (NFC) interfaces 144, one or moreUHF radio interfaces (e.g., BLUETOOTH™), and one or more wiredinterfaces 148 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus ports, power ports, audioports, video ports, etc.). The various interfaces may include antennas,power supplies, user input devices, etc. The wired and other interfacesmay, in some embodiments, draw power from an external source, such as apower port of an airplane, a wireless charging system, etc.

The system 100 also includes one or more bus systems such as one or moredata, address, power or control buses coupled to the various componentsof the system 100, and which for ease of illustration are shown as a bussystem 160.

The system 100 also includes a travel mode controller or circuit 112,which, in operation, controls one or more travel modes of operation ofthe system 100 based on data sensed by one or more sensors, such as thesensors 120, 122, 124, 126 of the system 100. The travel mode controller112 may be implemented, for example, as a separate circuit, asinstructions executing on the processor 102, using the ANN engine 106,etc., and various combinations thereof. One or more embodiments of themethods disclosed herein may be employed by the travel mode controller112 to, in operation, control operating modes of the system 100,operating modes of the various components of the system 100, and variouscombinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may include more components thanillustrated, may include fewer components than illustrated, may splitillustrated components into separate components, may combine illustratedcomponents, etc., and various combinations thereof. For example, the ANNengine 106 may be omitted in some embodiments. In another example, oneor more of the sensors may be external to the system 100 andcommunicatively coupled to the system 100 via one or more interfaces,such as one of the wired interfaces 148, etc.

Handheld devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops are oftenequipped with GSM/LTE, WLAN, NFC, UHF and other wireless interfaces, andmay have powerful batteries. As previously mentioned, the use ofwireless communication devices may be restricted when the devices arebeing transported. For convenience, an example with reference totransportation in an airplane is discussed herein. Embodiments may beemployed which are directed to other modes of transportation. During aflight, use of wireless communication interfaces may be restricted tominimize interference with radio communications between the flight andairport control. In addition, the drawing of power from power ports ofthe airplane (e.g., to charge the batteries) or from the batteries(e.g., to perform power intensive operations, may similarly berestricted to avoid the risk of drawing excess power from the aircraftor the risk of overheating or exploding batteries.

Conventionally, a user is asked to manually turn a device off or placethe device in airplane mode, and to unplug the device from any ports ofthe airplane. Dependence on a user manually placing a device in airplanemode is unreliable and unplugging a device from ports of the airplane isunreliable. For shipping applications, airplane mode detection also mayprovide status/tracking information regarding a shipment.

In theory, it also is possible to utilize a combination of a radiotransceiver and barometer to determine when to place the device in aparticular mode of operation, such as an airplane mode, but the devicemust be equipped with a barometer and a transceiver or receiver. Thebarometer can measure the ambient atmospheric pressure, which can beused to compute altitude with respect to Mean Sea Level (MSL). Based onaltitude, it is possible to identify when the plane is ascending,descending or on the ground. However, the pressure measured by abarometer inside an airplane cabin is not necessarily equal toatmospheric pressure, especially at higher altitudes. Cabinpressurization schemes also may vary between types of aircraft and thealtitude of the airport at which an aircraft departs or lands. Thus, dueto cabin pressurization it is difficult to use pressure measured bybarometer to determine altitude, and therefrom to determine anappropriate operating mode of a mobile device.

An example relationship between cabin pressure/altitude and airplanealtitude is represented by FIG. 2. On the ground before takeoff, thepressure of the cabin and the atmosphere is the same. During takeoff,the process of pressurization is started, for example, to smooth thetransition when the plane is ascending and avoid a feeling of lowpressure in the cabin. The barometer tends to show a higher pressure(e.g., 6-7 hPa higher than the atmospheric pressure) at takeoff.Pressurization at takeoff also may be airplane specific. For example,small planes may not employ any cabin pressurization at all, andtypically do not operate above 14,000 feet.

In the ascent stage, the pressure inside the cabin decreases at a slowerrate than the atmospheric pressure. The altitude determined based on thebarometer readings will be smaller than the airplane altitude. Thealtitude based on the cabin pressure climb may be limited, for exampleto 1000 feet-per-minute, and may saturate at, for example, 8,000 feet,even when the airplane reaches a height of 36,000 feet.

In the descent stage, the cabin pressure slowly increases and may belimited, for example, to a variation of 750 feet-per-minute. At the endof the descent, some aircraft pressurize the cabin by 6-7 hPa, andslowly adjust to reach the outside pressure. The altitudes of thevarious airports also may be different. Thus, relying on a pressure dataalone to determine a mode of operation may be difficult. Reliance on atransceiver or receiver (such as a GPS system) is difficult because whenin airplane mode, such transceivers or receivers are not active.

In an embodiment, movement data, such as acceleration data indicative ofglobal or localized movement from one or more movement sensors, isconsidered in combination with pressure data, such as data from apressure sensor, to determine an appropriate operating mode of a systemsuch as a mobile device. In an embodiment, detecting conditions forsetting a device to operate in an airplane mode may include detecting arunway state and a takeoff state.

In an embodiment, detecting a runway state and a takeoff state may beperformed using acceleration data. FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration ofan example acceleration profile of a device during a takeoff procedureof an airplane. There are four distinct patterns which are observedduring the takeoff procedure. A first pattern is associated with apassenger having a portable device (or with a transponder in a cargohold) in the airplane during taxiing. A second pattern is observed whenaccelerating on the runway. A third pattern is observed during takeoffas the plane lifts from the runway, and a fourth pattern is observed asthe plane continues to rise to cruising altitude.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example acceleration variance of a device during atakeoff procedure together with thresholds that may be employed todetect one or more states of a device in an embodiment. For example, ifthe acceleration variance is between the two thresholds, this may serveas an indication the device may be in a runway state.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example frequency response of an energy ofacceleration of a device during a takeoff procedure. There are twodistinct bands in the 0-50 Hz range. The ratio of the energy in thebands may be employed to detect one or more states of a device in anembodiment. For example, the energy in the 0-5 Hz band being greaterthan the energy in the 5-50 Hz band may serve as an indication thedevice is in a runway state. In another example, if the total energy inthe 0-5 Hz band being within [0.025, 0.2] times the output data rate(ODR) may serve as an indication a device is in a takeoff state.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a typical mean acceleration curve of adevice during a takeoff procedure. The mean acceleration may be employedto detect one or more states of a device in an embodiment. For example,if the mean acceleration is between 2 threshold values, as shown byThreshold 1 and 2 in FIG. 6 (marked by dashed line), a device may bedetermined to be in a takeoff state.

FIG. 7 is a graphical illustration of a motion activation detection(MAD) function or algorithm. The acceleration amplitude during airplaneacceleration on a runway is typically small (e.g., less than 0.3 g).This facilitates using a motion activation detection algorithm to detectmotion in an embodiment, similar to the manner in which a voiceactivation detection algorithm may be used to detect voices. A MADfunction may be defined as follows:MAD(m)=P(m)×(1−Z _(s)(m))  Equation 1where P(m) is the power in the acceleration signal and Z_(s)(m) is thezero crossing rate for a 1 second window.

In an embodiment, a runway state may be detected based on theacceleration features described above. A plane may typically be in arunway state for a period of 15-25 seconds. The features may bedetermined periodically, such as on a one-second window of accelerometerdata. Historical data may be maintained for a period of time, such asthirty seconds, and if conditions consistent with a runway state existfor a threshold period of time (e.g., 15 seconds), a runway state of adevice may be detected.

For example, a runway state may be detected in response to the followingconditions being satisfied for a 15-second period of time: a standarddeviation being within a range of threshold values (e.g., within 0.01and 0.5 g); an absolute mean of a Euclidean norm of acceleration beingless than a threshold value (e.g., 0.1 g); a MAD value being within athreshold range (e.g., between 0.0015 and 0.025), and an energy level inthe 0-5 Hz range being greater than an energy level in the 5-50 Hzrange.

In an embodiment, after a runway state is detected, a device may startmonitoring for a takeoff state. During takeoff, the total accelerationof a device is positive due to the liftoff of the airplane from theground. In an embodiment, if the total acceleration exceeds a thresholdacceleration level for a threshold period of time after a runway statehas been detected, the device may be determined to be in a takeoffstate. The takeoff period usually lasts 5 seconds. Thus, a thresholdperiod of time such as 3 seconds may be employed. In an embodiment,other factors such as the factors discussed above may be considered aswell. As discussed, features may be determined periodically, such as ona one-second window of accelerometer data. Historical data may bemaintained for a period of time, such as 5 seconds, and if conditionsconsistent with a takeoff state exist for a threshold period of time(e.g., 3 seconds), a takeoff state of a device may be detected.

For example, a takeoff state may be detected in response to thefollowing conditions being satisfied for a 3-second period of time aftera runway state has been detected: a standard deviation being within arange of threshold values (e.g., within 0.01 and 0.25 g); an absolutemean of a Euclidean norm of acceleration being less than a thresholdvalue (e.g., 0.6 g); a MAD value being within a threshold range (e.g.,between 0.025 and 0.05), and an energy level in the 0-5 Hz range beingwithin a threshold range (e.g., within (0.025, 0.2)×ODR).

FIG. 8 illustrates an example behavior of an acceleration-based statedetector during a flight applying the example threshold periods of timediscussed above. As illustrated, both the runway state and the takeoffstate are detected approximately at time 750 seconds.

In an embodiment, the accelerometer data also may be monitored to detectother types of motion, for example, accelerometer data consistent withtypes of motion that are inconsistent with a device being in an airplaneabout to take off. For example, motion data consistent with a joggingpattern or a long walk is inconsistent with a device being on a planeabout to take off. In an embodiment, a runway or takeoff state may berejected for a threshold period of time after an inconsistent state isdetected. For example, if a jogging state is detected, a runway state ora takeoff state may be rejected until a period of 200 seconds haselapsed. A similar algorithm may be employed to determine whether adevice is coming out of an airplane mode, or if an airplane state hasbeen detected in error. For example, motion data consistent with walkingfor more than a threshold period of time may serve as an indication thatthe device should not be considered to be in a runway state or a takeoffstate.

In an embodiment, detection of a runway state or of a take-off statebased on accelerometer data may be validated using pressure data, and aninflight state may be detected based on pressure data. FIGS. 9 and 10illustrate example indications of height based on cabin pressure, suchas measurements of a pressure sensor of a device in the airplane cabin.The pressure data may be used to detect changes in pressure which areconsistent or inconsistent with a runway state and a takeoff state.

As mentioned above, most aircraft pressurize the cabin before takeoff tomake the transition when taking off from ground more comfortable, andthen gradually reduce the pressure as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In anembodiment, a pre-takeoff pressurization state may be detected bychecking for an increase in pressure (decrease in height), measured by apressure sensor of a device, which is within a threshold range andoccurs within a threshold period of time. For example, an increase inpressure corresponding to a decrease in height of 40-70 meters within a50-second time window may serve as an indication the device is in apre-takeoff pressurization state.

In response to detecting a pre-takeoff pressurization state, anembodiment may start to monitor pressure data to detect an assent state.During an assent, an airplane typically keeps gaining altitude andpressure inside the cabin is gradually reduced. In an embodiment,pressure changes indicative of the slope of altitude increase and thechange in altitude from the takeoff state may be monitored, and thisinformation may be used to confirm a takeoff state and to detect achange from a takeoff state to a flying state. For example, if thepressure data indicates the altitude has changed by more than 200 m andrate of change in altitude is 200 ft/min, the pressure data may bedeemed consistent with an airplane mode of operation. The accelerometerand the pressure data may be employed together. For example, thethreshold height change may be reduced to 150 m if accelerometer data isconsistent with detection of both runway and takeoff states.

In an embodiment, other sensor data may be employed as part of atransportation mode detection scheme of a portable device. For example,sensed indications of temperature may be employed. In the context of anaircraft, the temperature of the cabin may typically be maintainedwithin a threshold range such as 18-27 degrees Celsius. The detectionscheme may then consider whether the temperature is above a thresholdvalue, such as 18 degrees Celsius.

In an embodiment, accelerometer data, pressure data and optionallytemperature data are employed to detect an airplane mode and to generatecontrol signals to appropriately limit the function of a portabledevice, such as a cell-phone, a laptop, a tablet, an asset trackingdevice, etc., based on the detected airplane mode. The device may have amotion sensor (e.g., an accelerometer such as a 3-axis accelerometer, agyroscope, etc.), a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor.

Increases and decreases in pressure, acceleration and temperature mayserve as indications of various airplane mode states or of transitionsbetween the various states. Threshold values and differences may beemployed to determine the states and transitions, and the thresholdvalues and differences may be different for different electronic devicesor circumstances (e.g., an asset tracking device likely to be in anunpressurized and unheated cargo hold might employ different thresholdsthan a cell phone likely to be in a pressurized, heated passenger cabin;initial data consistent with travel in a small airplane may result inthe use of different thresholds to detect state changes than thethresholds used when the initial data is consistent with travel in alarge jet; etc.).

The detected modes or states may include pre-takeoff runway state,takeoff state, in-flight state, landing state, and post-landing runwaystate. Other states may be detected (e.g., a seated in the airplanestate, an at the gate state, a not on the airplane state). Previousstate information may be employed to facilitate detecting a currentstate.

Different functions of the portable device may be enabled or disabledupon detection of entering, exiting or transitioning between the variousstates. For example, upon detecting a pre-takeoff runway state or alanding state, the following functions of a portable electronic devicemay be disabled: drawing power (e.g., from an airplane charge port or acharger); cell-phone communications; GPS communications; wificommunications; selected applications (e.g., noisy applications); allapplications; etc.

Upon transitioning from a take-off state to an inflight state, somefunctionality may be restored, such as: drawing power; wifi; and somedisabled applications. Other functionality may not be restored, such ascell-phone communications and GPS communications. Some embodiments mayemploy fewer control modes than detection modes (e.g., no action may betaken upon transitioning from pre-take-off runway state to takeoffstate).

Upon transitioning from a post-landing runway state to an at the gatestate, some or all functionality may be restored.

An embodiment may also detect when a state has likely been aborted or aprevious state determination was likely incorrect, and take correctiveaction.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 1100 of detectingone or more transportation states of a mobile device and generating oneor more signals to control one or more operational modes of the mobiledevice based on the one or more detected transportation states. Themethod 1100 of FIG. 11 will be described for convenience with referenceto FIGS. 1-10 and with the detection of states consistent withgenerating control signals to cause the device to enter an airplane modeof operation. Other states may be detected and other modes of operationselected or deselected based on the detected states. For example, apost-landing runway state may be detected and a transition from anairplane mode of operation to a normal mode of operation selected basedon the detection of a post-landing runway state. In another example, acruising state may be detected and an airplane mode enabling WiFicommunications may be entered; subsequently, a descending state may bedetected and WiFi communications disabled, etc. The method 1100 may beimplemented, for example, by a system such as the system 100 of FIG. 1.

At 1124, temperature data is sensed, for example, by a sensor 124, orretrieved, for example from a memory. The method 1100 proceeds from 1124to 1152, where the temperature data is analyzed to determine whether thetemperature data is consistent with a transportation state of a mobiledevice. For example, data from temperature sensor 124 of FIG. 1 may becompared to one or more thresholds or threshold ranges to determinewhether the temperature data is consistent with a particulartransportation state of a mobile device. For example, temperature dataindicative of a temperature between 18 and 27 degrees Celsius may bedetermined to be consistent with one or more airplane cabin states(e.g., runway state, takeoff state, flying state, landing state, etc.).It is noted that a different thresholds and threshold ranges may beemployed for different devices. For example, a transponder expected tobe in an aircraft cargo hold may employ different thresholds than amobile telephone. A signal indicative of the determination at 1152 isgenerated. For example, a binary signal indicative of a yes/nodetermination may be generated.

At 1122, pressure data is sensed, for example, by a sensor 122, orretrieved, for example from a memory. The method 1100 proceeds from 1122to 1154, where the pressure data is converted to height data. The method1100 enters state zero at 1156, where the method 1100 may wait for anindication to transition to a pressurization detection state 1158. Forexample, an indication that a runway mode has been detected based onmotion data, or another indication to proceed to a new state, such aschanges in height data exceeding one or more thresholds within athreshold period of time, may trigger a transition to the pressurizationdetection state 1158.

At pressurization detection state 1158, height data is analyzed todetermine whether the height data is consistent with a pre-takeoff cabinpressurization. This may be done, for example, by checking for increasesand decreases in height/pressure within a time window which areconsistent with pre-flight cabin pressurization. When it is determinedat pressurization detection state 1158 that pre-flight cabinpressurization has been detected, the method 1100 proceeds from state1158 to state 1160. For example, when the height data is consistent witha drop of 40-70 meters within 50 seconds, pre-flight cabinpressurization may be detected. When it is determined at state 1158 thatpre-flight cabin pressurization has not been detected, the method 1100returns to state 1156.

At ascend detection state 1160, height data is analyzed to determinewhether the height data is consistent with an ascension during a flight.For example, pressure changes indicative of the slope of altitudeincrease and the change in altitude from the takeoff state may bemonitored, and this information may be used to confirm an ascensionstate. For example, if the pressure data indicates the altitude haschanged by more than 200 m and rate of change in altitude is 200 ft/min,the pressure data may be deemed consistent with an ascension state. Whenit is determined at ascend detection state 1160 that ascension has beendetected, the method 1100 proceeds from state 1160 to state 1162. Whenit is determined at state 1160 that ascension has not been detected, themethod 1100 returns to state 1156.

At state 1162, the method 1100 generates a signal indicative of whetherthe pressure data is consistent with an airplane mode of operation.

At 1120, motion data is sensed, for example, by a sensor 120, orretrieved, for example from a memory. The method 1100 proceeds from 1120to 1164, where the motion data is analyzed to compute feature data, suchas energies of acceleration, mean values, etc. The feature data is usedat 1166 to perform runway detection, at 1168 to perform takeoffdetection and at 1170 to detect whether significant human motion hasoccurred. The results of the determinations at 1166, 1168 and 1170 arestored in a data buffer at 1172.

At 1174, the method 1100 determines whether the data stored in thebuffer are consistent with both a runway and a takeoff state, andgenerates a signal indicative of a result of the determination. At 1176,the method 1100 determines whether the data stored in the buffer areconsistent with significant human motion inconsistent with an airplanetransportation state within a threshold time period.

At 1178, the method 1100 determines whether to enter an airplane mode ofoperation based on the signals generated at acts 1152, 1162, 1174 and1176. When the signals are consistent with an airplane mode ofoperation, the method 1100 generates a control signal 1180 to cause adevice, such as the device 100 of FIG. 1, to enter an airplane mode ofoperation. For example, if the signal generated at 1152 indicates thetemperature data is consistent with an aircraft cabin temperature, thesignal generated at 1162 indicates the pressure data is consistent witha takeoff, the signal generated at 1174 is consistent with a takeoff,and the signal generated at 1176 does not indicate significant humanmotion within a threshold period of time which is inconsistent with atakeoff state, the method 1100 may generate a control signal 1180 tocause a device to enter an airplane mode of operation.

Embodiments of methods of controlling transportation modes of electronicdevices may contain additional acts not shown in FIG. 11, may notcontain all of the acts shown in FIG. 11, may perform acts shown in FIG.11 in various orders, and may be modified in various respects. Forexample, the method 1100 may combine acts 1166, 1168 and 1170; mayperform acts in parallel or iteratively; etc.; and various combinationsthereof. Look-up tables may be employed to determine whether sensed datais consistent or inconsistent with a transportation mode of a device.

Some embodiments may take the form of or comprise computer programproducts. For example, according to one embodiment there is provided acomputer readable medium comprising a computer program adapted toperform one or more of the methods or functions described above. Themedium may be a physical storage medium, such as for example a Read OnlyMemory (ROM) chip, or a disk such as a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD-ROM),Compact Disk (CD-ROM), a hard disk, a memory, a network, or a portablemedia article to be read by an appropriate drive or via an appropriateconnection, including as encoded in one or more barcodes or otherrelated codes stored on one or more such computer-readable mediums andbeing readable by an appropriate reader device.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, some or all of the methods and/orfunctionality may be implemented or provided in other manners, such asat least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but notlimited to, one or more application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs), digital signal processors, discrete circuitry, logic gates,standard integrated circuits, controllers (e.g., by executingappropriate instructions, and including microcontrollers and/or embeddedcontrollers), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complexprogrammable logic devices (CPLDs), etc., as well as devices that employRFID technology, and various combinations thereof.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various embodiments and publicationsto provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: one or more memories;and travel mode control circuitry including one or more processors andcoupled to the one or more memories, wherein the travel mode controlcircuitry, in operation, automatically: determines an energy ofacceleration based on motion data; compares temperature data to one ormore thresholds; detects an airplane runway state of the device based onthe determined energy of acceleration and the comparing; responds todetection of the airplane runway state of the device by monitoringmotion data and pressure data to detect a transition from the airplanerunway state to an airplane takeoff state of the device; and responds todetection of the transition to the airplane takeoff state of the deviceby generating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter afirst airplane travel mode of operation.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, determineswhether the temperature data indicates a temperature of the device iswithin a threshold temperature range.
 3. The device of claim 1 whereinthe travel mode control circuitry, in operation, employs a motionactivation detection algorithm to detect the airplane runway state. 4.The device of claim 3 wherein the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation, employs the motion activation detection algorithm to detectthe transition to the airplane takeoff state.
 5. The device of claim 1wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation: monitors themotion data to detect significant human motion inconsistent with theairplane runway state; and responds to detection of significant humanmotion inconsistent with the first travel state by determining thedevice is not in the airplane runway state.
 6. The device of claim 1wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation: responds todetection of the transition to the airplane takeoff state by monitoringmotion data and pressure data to detect a transition from the airplanetakeoff state to another state; and responds to detection of thetransition to the another state by generating one or more controlsignals to cause the device to enter a second airplane travel mode ofoperation.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein the travel mode controlcircuitry, in operation: responds to detection of the airplane runwaystate by monitoring motion data, temperature data and pressure data; andresponds to monitored data inconsistent with the airplane runway stateby determining the airplane runway state is not detected.
 8. The deviceof claim 1 wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation,employs one or more thresholds values and one or more threshold periodsof time to detect a travel state of the device.
 9. A system, comprising:a temperature sensor; a pressure sensor; and a motion sensor; and travelmode control circuitry including one or more processors and coupled tothe temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the motion sensor,wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, automatically:monitors motion data to determine an energy of acceleration; comparestemperature data to one or more thresholds; detects an airplane runwaystate based on the determined energy of acceleration and the comparing;responds to detection of the airplane runway state by monitoring motiondata and pressure data to detect a transition from the airplane runwaystate to an airplane takeoff state; and responds to detection of thetransition to the airplane takeoff state by generating one or morecontrol signals to cause the system to enter a first airplane travelmode of operation.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the travel modecontrol circuitry, in operation, determines whether the temperature dataindicates a temperature is within a threshold temperature range.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9 wherein the travel mode control circuitry, inoperation, employs a motion activation detection algorithm to detect theairplane runway state.
 12. The system of claim 9 wherein the travel modecontrol circuitry, in operation: monitors the motion data to detectsignificant human motion inconsistent with the airplane runway state;and responds to detection of significant human motion inconsistent withthe airplane runway state by determining the airplane runway state isnot detected.
 13. A computer-implemented method, comprisingautomatically: determining an energy of acceleration based on motiondata; comparing temperature data to one or more thresholds; detecting anairplane runway state of a device based on the determined energy ofacceleration and the comparing; responding to detection of the airplanerunway state of the device by monitoring motion data and pressure datato detect a transition from the airplane runway state to an airplanetakeoff state of the device; and responding to detection of thetransition to the airplane takeoff state of the device by generating oneor more control signals to cause the device to enter a first airplanetravel mode of operation.
 14. The method of claim 13, comprisingemploying a motion activation detection algorithm to detect the airplanerunway state.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium havingcontents which cause travel mode control circuitry to perform anautomatic method, the method comprising: determining an energy ofacceleration based on motion data; comparing temperature data to one ormore thresholds; detecting airplane runway state of a device based onthe determined energy of acceleration and the comparing; responding todetection of the airplane runway state of the device by monitoringmotion data and pressure data to detect a transition from the airplanerunway state to airplane takeoff state of the device; and responding todetection of the transition to the airplane takeoff state of the deviceby generating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter afirst airplane travel mode of operation.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the contents compriseinstructions executed by the travel mode control circuitry.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the methodcomprises: responding to detection of the transition to the airplanetakeoff state by monitoring motion data and pressure data to detect atransition from the airplane takeoff state to another state; andresponding to detection of the transition to the another state bygenerating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter asecond airplane travel mode of operation.
 18. The method of claim 13,comprising: responding to detection of the transition to the airplanetakeoff state by monitoring motion data and pressure data to detect atransition from the airplane takeoff state to another state; andresponding to detection of the transition to the another state bygenerating one or more control signals to cause the device to enter asecond airplane travel mode of operation.
 19. The device of claim 1wherein the travel mode control circuitry, in operation, determineswhether monitored changes in pressure are consistent with a transitionfrom the airplane runway state to the airplane takeoff state.